The Raiders: The Wraith of Glaux
by Keeperofthedark
Summary: Apparently, Glaux determines the owl world tainted and impure... and sends his angels to destroy it
1. Chapter 1 revised

Well, I honestly don't know what to say. I would use the coma excuse, but I think I've used that one before. But I promise to update this story at least once a week. My writing style should be very different, but hopefully better. I reread my last story, and it's very different than how I write now. And, without further interuption, here is the improved chapter 1.

Matthew flew slowly, close to the water near the Great Ga'hoole tree. He should have been happier than he was, he knew that. The war was over, and he had a great girl. But… something just didn't seem right. Even thought the world was peaceful again, something just didn't seem right. Trying to clear his mind, he looked up at the meteor shower. Another one. They were happening very frequently. It seemed like one almost every other night. And Amelia wanted to see them with him almost every single night… He sighed. He shouldn't try and make himself believe he was angry with her about that. He wasn't. It was just… Amelia was wanting to have chicks, but it seemed too soon for him. Even though they had known each other for two or three years know, it just felt wrong.

But, try as he might, he couldn't work up the bravery to tell her that. Every time she started to talk about it, her eyes just sparkled up, and he couldn't tell her. She looked too happy. So, he just settled for avoiding her. Even though he knew it wouldn't work in the long run. Luckily, Felli and Joshua hadn't told her that, so he was safe for a bit longer. How much though, he couldn't decide. He was only able to keep it up this far by doing something, anything, till the sky was so bright, she was asleep in their hollow by the time he came in. But it couldn't last forever. He felt so trapped. Taking another deep breath, he just tried to focus on flying. There would always be time, even just a bit, to make those decisions later.

The owl skimmed close to the ground, moving at huge speeds. Normally, it would be foolish, maybe even suicidal to race along at the speed he did. One hit by a raised root, or a branch that had dissolved into a blur, and he would have been injured, to say the least. But, being an angel never hurt. So, he raced along at his inhuman (or is it inowl?) speed, relying on his hearing rather than his sight to locate his pursuers. Keener than a barn owl's, he was able to determine they were not gaining on him. Most likely. But he knew he would outrun them eventually. Glaux was calling all angels to assist him. No, he thought. That imposter could not have been Glaux, the benign owl god. Something was wrong. And that's why he had fallen. He had the knowledge that could save the owl world. Gluax, or whoever the imposter was, had grown tired of the owl world. And he was planning to destroy it.

And there it ends. Sorry it is short, I promise they really will be longer, but this was just sort of an intro, both for me and the story. I want to test the waters, and this is how. Please review, or just mention what I should include in my official apology next chapter, so I can earn the approval of the people again.


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, well it's been almost a week, and that means time to update. I'm going to try and make this a bit longer and a bit better than the previous ones. Enjoy!

Matthew slowly crept into his shared hollow. He had stayed up even later than normal, or rather his new normal. He still didn't, or couldn't, tell Amelia. But, to his shock, he found her by their nest, awake, although bleary eyed.

"Matt?" she murmured, eyes unfocused.

Taking a deep breath, he answered," Amelia, why are you up? It's still light out. Really light."

She blinked. "You didn't come, and I was worrying. I went out and looked, but I couldn't find you. So I just waited here."

Matthew shut his eyes. It hurt him to lie. "I was here, remember? We flew together all day, so you went to bed a bit earlier. I was just out reading a bit." It was a big lie, but Matthew hoped that, in her dazed state, she wouldn't notice.

He was correct. "Okay. But can you come to bed now? I'm lonely." Stifling more tears, Matthew sat close to her, and started to preen her softly. If he couldn't apologize for real, he had to do something. "I love you…" she muttered softly as she fell to sleep.

Matthew sighed. Sleep wouldn't come easy for him.

The angel sat, hidden for now. He was lucky. Because that imposter was marshalling all of "his" angels, none more were being spared to hunt down him. His gizzard clenched at that. They were so arrogant. Everyone. It had started a few years ago, gradually building into this. They knew he knew of the invasion. They knew he would tell all the owls. They just didn't think mere mortals could do anything to them. With a dark grin, he looked at his bloodied talons. If they could bleed, they could be killed. Especially those owls. Where were they…? Ah yes, a tree. The Great Ga'hoole tree. He would need to hurry there. He had observed this world for a long time. At least at that tree, the owls showed something amazing. They created. They made something for nothing. And that's what he needed. He had the knowledge, but one fallen angel couldn't stand up to an entire army. But, even if he couldn't think of a way to stop this invasion, they could. Steeling himself for whatever may or may not happen, he took off with a single thrust, going far higher and faster than any owl could. Higher and faster then some angels too. _Well then_, he thought. _To the Great Tree._

King Caleb collapsed into his nest, exhausted. Just as they had solved one threat, another appeared. Even though the Raiders were gone, the attacks hadn't stopped. In fact, they had gotten worse. Entire forests, razed to the ground. It didn't make any sense. Parliament had been in session for hours, trying to figure out how to fix… everything. Or something even. But any forces they had sent to investigate these occurrences didn't come back. He was thinking of sending out Matthew and the others, but, he couldn't risk them. If no one even came back from the investigations, he would need them if an all-out attack was launched. Just as he was about to retreat into the quiet embrace of sleep, a scout barged into the room. "What now?" the king roared. Parliament had disbanded not 5 minutes ago.

"Sir, there is a… something nearing the tree!"

"A something? What is it?"

"We are not sure, sir. It is the size of an owl, but it is going far too fast. And… somehow, we heard it's voice from miles away. It was requesting the king. You."

After an angry and quick confirmation, Caleb followed the scout. Enveying the sleeping owls they passed, the king hurried along. He just wanted some damn sleep. Finally, they approached the "owl." The king tried to identify it, but it just didn't look like anything. Its size seemed to shift, as did its feathers. In one second, he had the distict markings of a Spotted Owl. But the next, those were gone, and there were tuffs of feathers on his head. And, at that same second, he was snow white.

"Hey, you the king? Hell, it doesn't matter. Look, you know all of those attacks? The ones your scouts died in? They are angels. Gluax has forsaken your world."

And done. Well, I hope that is a bit better. I would like to apologize if the format of the story is bad. It doesn't seem to translate from my word documents, and I can't seem to edit it once it is uploaded. Also, if you like the story at all, please leave a review. Anonymous reviews are on, and it doesn't have to be a paragraph of criticism or praise. Even a sentence or two boosts my morale immensely.


	3. Chapter 3

Okay, here is chapter 3. Sorry it is almost late. I had to do some stuff, and then I got sick for a bit. Enjoy and review!

Matthew stood in silence with the rest of his gang in the parliament roots as the angel finished its explanation. While it did sound ridiculous, no other answer made much sense. And the owl's appearance certainly helped his efforts. He did look very angelic. Not to mention his shifting appearance. "So, if what you say is true," Matthew began," How can we stop this? If the god of our world decides we're done, I just don't think there is much we can do. And how can we fight angels?"

"I told you!" the angel said angrily," That thing isn't Gluax. I know it isn't. And besides. They bleed. At least in the world here. They can be killed. However, you are half right. In glaumora, you would be powerless. But, I think I might be able to fix that. You know the Band? Those legends and stuff?"

"Yep!" Felli chimed in. "Matthew even used Soren's battle claws!"

"Did you now?" the angel asked, cocking his head to the side. "Well, that leads into my plan. We need to confront this imposter, and see what happened to Gluax. The real Gluax. But, as you are now, as any owl is now, the angels will completely destroy you in glaumora, and it will be a dire fight in the mortal world. But, there is a method I believe we can use to transcend this barrier. Owls who lead amazing lives, owls who were legends, are in a revered part of glaumora."

"Is you plan to recruit these owls? To fight the angels?" asked Joshua.

The angel scowled. "No. And don't interrupt me. While these owls are dead, something of them besides their legends live on. The weapons of these brave owls are immortalized. They are put into shrines, inaccessible to mortals. They exist solely so that their brave deeds will not be forgotten by us. The angels. When in times of war against hagsmire, those heroes reclaim their weapons, and fight. So…"

"We're going to loot sacred shrines?" asked Matthew.

The angel gave a cackle, ending with a dark grin," Exactly. With those weapons, you should be able to fight the angels. Especially with my help."

"Wait," Amelia interrupted. "If Gluax is telling all the angels to destroy our world, why are you the only one rebelling?"

He sighed," Look, I know this will sound shady, but that is my personal business. It doesn't matter. But I swear, I'm not trying to do anything other than help you. I have no ulterior motive or anything like that. You just have to trust me. Now, I want to take you four. You have proved yourself in battle, and you feel… special. Like you'll get legends of your own some day. Do you still have Soren's claws? They would make our job a bit easier."

"Uh, sorry, but we don't. After the battle I used them in, they just seemed to disappear. And, something you said doesn't make sense. You said mortals couldn't enter those shrines. But, that sounds a lot like the place where I found the battle claws," Matthew said.

The angel grinned again. "Like I said, you all have the air of a legend around you. Now, if you are all ready, I would like to leave tomorrow, at first black. Is that okay?"

After a round of confirmations, Amelia put out one last question," What's your name?"

"Hmm. Name. You can call me Faolyn."

Matthew one again skimmed in the air outside the Great Tree. He knew Amelia would get him this time. But that didn't stop him from escaping. He had decided he would have to tell her what he really thought. Even if she would hate him for it.

"Hey Matt," he heard Amelia call out, much to his surprise. She swooped down to his level. "Matt, why have you been avoiding me? And don't give me one of your racdrops excuses. Tell me the truth."

Matthew sighed. Looks like he would have to face her a bit sooner than he thought. "Ames… it's about having chicks. I… I'm not ready. I can't be a father now."

At first, she just stared ahead, there being nothing to gauge her reaction with. "Matthew… why didn't you tell me?" she yelled, voice cracking near the end. "Why didn't you just tell me something so easy? Do you know how worried I've been? I haven't been able to find you anywhere, and you were going to sleep at obscene hours or not at all! I've stayed up for hours, and still you didn't come back! And no one else would tell me anything! What did you think? That I would hate you for saying no, for trying to compromise? I knew you maybe wouldn't want to have chicks yet, but I thought we could talk about it! I love you so much, and I want to be with you. Forever. We would have to talk about it someday. But instead you just do what you always do. You go where no one can find you, and just waste time, hoping the solution will come to you. Sometimes, it won't Matt. Sometimes you just have to suck it up, and do something difficult!"

And with that, she soared away angrily. Matthew just sighed. The worst part was, she was right. That's what he was doing. He had just been trying to justify it, but it couldn't be done. He just screwed up.

And done. I'm sorry if this is a bit low quality, but, like I said, I was/am a bit sick.


	4. Chapter 4

Okay, here is Chapter 4. Sorry for finally posting it on almost Monday. Enjoy and review.

The group plus Faolyn perched on one of the Great Tree's branches, preparing to take off. "Okay," started Faolyn," here is the plan, one more time. We need to gather three weapons, each from a legend in your history. The three are going to be, the ice sword used to kill Klud in the Burning, an iron replica of an ice dagger made from the original smith from Dark Fowl Island, and the last shall be the first battle claws, made by Theo. This is assuming you have Soren's claws…?"

"Yes I do," confirmed Matthew.

"Okay, good. Now, the places where these weapons will be will be guarded. Now, when we fight the angels, stay by either me or Matthew. The farther away you are from either my aura or the legendary weapons, the stronger the angels will be. First, we are going after the ice sword. Any questions…?" There weren't. "Okay. Let's fly." And with that they took off.

Matthew flew in silence, still bemoaning how stupid he was. Amelia was still angry at him, and he wasn't sure if she would cool down by herself. But she also wouldn't speak to him, so he had no idea how to make this right. "Hey Matthew," said Felli, oddly subdued.

"What is it?" he replied.

"Amelia told me what happened… or rather I overheard. I'm really sorry. But I don't think she'll be mad at you forever. Just give her a few days, and then try to make it right. But don't wait to long. Otherwise, she'll just think you're trying to avoid the problem again."

"Wow, thanks Felli," said Matthew, puzzled by her serious expression.

"Any time!" she yelled out, reverting back to her normal self, and proceeding to pester Faolyn with questions. "So why won't you tell us who you are?"

"I told you. That's my business, and it doesn't matter."

"Well then, how come you're different from all the other angels?"

"I don't know."

"What kind of owl are you? Do angels have species? Like are there Barn Owl angels, and Spotted Owl angels, and-"

"I don't know! Stop asking me questions!" burst out Faolyn, patience at an end. As everyone laughed, Matthew looked over to Amelia. She was laughing along with everyone else, so that was good. It didn't give any bearing on how mad she was at him, but at least it meant she wasn't angry at the world. Matthew flew for the rest of the time away from the group. Well, more so than usual. So he was relieved when Faolyn chose to stop to rest.

"We need to rest now. While I don't need sleep, I can still get mentally tired here in your world. And you need to be at your strongest for when we get the ice sword."

Matthew jolted awake. Something was wrong. Taking only a second to stretch his wings, he looked around. It was the middle of the day, with the sunlight streaming in from hollow opening hurting his eyes. But something was wrong. Hurriedly, he started to put on Soren's battle claws. After that he moved over to where Amelia was sleeping. Mad at him or not, he needed to protect her. Almost as soon as he had done this, his hunch proved correct. An owl, or angel rather, peaked into the hollow. Before he could react, Matthew launched himself at him, screaming" Get up! Ambush!" Faolyn was the first to react, launching right out of the hollow to see if there were more threats. Matthew didn't see what the others did, as he was busy grappling with the angel as they both started to fall. With a burst of strength, Matthew tore one claw from the grapple, and slashed the angel across the chest. The claws must have made him deadly, as the angel fell. As he flew back up to the others, he saw that the fighting was almost done. There had only been three angels, and, since he had gotten one, it had only left two to the others. Faolyn had dispatched his with ease, and the other was pinned to a tree truck with Felli's weapons, which she and Joshua were trying to get back.

"Lucky you saw him," remarked Faolyn. "Otherwise we would be done. Well, you guys at least. I would have been fine."

Ignoring Faolyn for the moment, Matthew looked over to Amelia. She briefly met his gaze, but then looked away. Hopefully, Matthew thought, this means she will be willing to forgive. That she'll give me a chance.

Well, there's chapter 4. Please review.


	5. Author's Note

First of all, I'm sorry I haven't stuck to my regular updating time. School started, and I've been preoccupied with that for a while, and to top it all off, my laptop got a virus, and I have to wait on some recovery disks.. But, everything has calmed down now, I've found a computer and I will update on Sunday, or before.


	6. Chapter 5

Okay, here is the long overdue next chapter. Please enjoy and review.

Matthew flew in silence behind Faolyn. Their moment of battle was close. He looked down at the claws clutched in his talons. How could he fight with them? He had never trained very much with battle claws, and the little training he has done was so long ago he could barely remember it. "Hey," said Joshua. "Don't worry. You'll be fine. Remember, you still have us. And the angel."

"Thanks Joshua," Matthew said. He wondered how much longer they would be flying. Faolyn, unfortunetly, hadn't given them any location, although he supposed the ice sword would be near where the battle of The Burning was.

"Look lively everyone," Faolyn announced as they started diving toward some caves. It looked like Matthew's hunch was correct. "It's almost time. Remember, stay close to either me, or Matthew."

Matthew stifiled a groan as they started to fly into a cave. The air in caves was dead, and he didn't like the damped confines of them. They flew for a while, then stopped at a faint blackness on the floor. "This is it. Everyone, close your eyes. Even with my, this journey is not going to feel very good for you guys." No sooner than Matthew had closed his eyes, he felt nauses, and had the sensation of the room spinning before him. Just when he couldn't take it anymore, it mercifully stopped. Opening his eyes, Matthew was greeted by a rather plain cavern, like the one they were just in, but with a ceiling that rose up farther than he could see. The only feature present was a small alter, onto which the ice sword rested. Well, that and the dozen or so angels.

"Charge!" Amelia roared. Taking the cue, Matthew dove toward the angel's. They were surprised for only a moment, reacting quicker than any mortal being could. But Matthew experienced a curious phenomenon. Even though the angels were moving fast, their actual movements were odd. Slowed down. He quickly gathered that this was an effect of the claws. Braceing himself, he managed to block the talons of an angel. Even though the blow reverberated throughout his body, he managed to counter the surprised angel. Obviously, he didn't suspect that this owl could be in posestion of a hero's weapon. Matthew fought defensively, making sure he stayed near the others. Faolyn, on the other hand, seemed more hagsfiend than angel at this point. He dove toward the nearest angel, savegly attacking it before moving toward the next one. Perhaps he wasn't as concerned with the well being of the mortal owls as it seemed. Regardless, the fight was soon over, with no injuries to boot. Amelia in particular had fought amazingly, though less aggressively than Faolyn.

"Okay, is everyone all right…? Good. But the next fight won't be so easy. They know we will be coming now. But we have the sword now. Any takers?"

"I'll wield it," Amelia said softly. "I'm the most comftorble with ice."

"Okay, good. Two more left."

And done. Hope you all enjoyed it. I, for one, am rather exhausted. I just came back from spending two hours hanging up signs for my school's elections. Wish me luck! Or review! Either will help me.


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